HINDUISM

Hinduism
The term Hinduism as a religious label refers
to the indigenous religious philosophy of the
peoples living in modern day India and the
rest of the Indian subcontinent. It is a
synthesis of many spiritual traditions of the
region and does not have a clearly defined
set of beliefs in the same way that other
religions do.
 It is widely accepted that Hinduism is the
oldest of the worlds religions, but there is
no known historical figure credited with
being its founder
The term Hindu is derived from the name
of River Indus, which flows though
northern India.
 Hinduism is not merely the real name of the
religion; its real name was Santana Dharma
which means eternal dharma or eternal
truth.
Hinduism has been variously defined as
religion, a religious tradition, a set of
religious beliefs, and a way of life. In India
the term dharma is preffered, which is
broader than the western term religion
 Origin of Hinduism
According to historians the origin of
Hinduism dates back to 5,000 years or more.
At one time, it was believed that the basic
tenets of Hinduism were brought to India by
the Aryans who invaded the Indus valley
civilization and settled along the banks of the
Indus river about 16000 BCE.
 Stages in the Evolution of
Hinduism
The evolution of Hinduism may be
divided into three periods: the ancient
period (3000 BCE- 500 CD), the medieval
period (500 to 1500 CE), and the modern
period (1500 to present).
 Concept of God
Hindus believe that there is one true god, the
supreme spirit, called Brahman. Brahman has
many forms, pervades the whole universe, and is
symbolised by the sacred syllable Om (or Aum).
Most Hindus believe that Brahman is present in
every person as the eternal spirit or soul, called
the atman. Brahman contains everything: creation
and destruction, male and female, good and evil,
movement and stillness.
 Three Main Aspects of
Brahman
These are expressed in the trimurti and
are:

Brahma, the creator

Vishnu, the preserver
Shiva, the destroyer
 Hindus believe that sometimes a god will
appear on the earth in living form.
Such an appearance is called an avatar.
Perhaps the best English translation of avatar
is 'incarnation', however avatar also conveys
the belief that God has the ability to take
any form and will descend to earth at times
when there has been a decline in goodness,
and evil is influencing human actions.
 The principal avatars are those
of Vishnu.Vaishnavas (worshippers of
Vishnu) normally recognise ten avatars,
although figures such as Gandhi and Jesus
are recognised as avatars by some. The
tenth avatar, Kalki, is yet to appear on
earth.
 Ten Avatars of Vishnu
1. Matsya - The Fish with the Axe
2. Kurma - The 7. Rama of Ayodhya
Tortoise (Ramachandra)
3. Varaha - The Boar 8. Krishna
4. Narasimha - The 9. Buddha
Man-Lion 10. Kalki
5. Vamana - The Dwarf
6. Parasurama - Rama
 Beliefs
Truth is eternal.
Hindus pursue knowledge and
understanding of the Truth: the very
essence of the universe and the only
Reality. According to the Vedas, Truth is
One, but the wise express it in a variety
of ways.
 Brahman is Truth and Reality.
Hindus believe in Brahman as the one
true God who is formless, limitless, all-
inclusive, and eternal. Brahman is not an
abstract concept; it is a real entity that
encompasses everything (seen and
unseen) in the universe.
 The Vedas are the ultimate authority.
The Vedas are Hindu scriptures that
contain revelations received by ancient
saints and sages. Hindus believe that the
Vedas are without beginning and without
end; when everything else in the universe is
destroyed (at the end of a cycle of time),
the Vedas remain.
 Everyone should strive to achieve dharma.
Understanding the concept of dharma helps you
understand the Hindu faith. Unfortunately, no
single English word adequately covers its meaning.
Dharma can be described as right conduct,
righteousness, moral law, and duty. Anyone who
makes dharma central to ones life strives to do
the right thing, according to ones duty and
abilities, at all times.
 Individual souls are immortal.
A Hindu believes that the individual
soul (atman) is neither created nor destroyed; it
has been, it is, and it will be. Actions of the soul
while residing in a body require that it reap the
consequences of those actions in the next life
the same soul in a different body.
The process of movement of the atman from one
body to another is known as transmigration. The
kind of body the soul inhabits next is determined
by karma (actions accumulated in previous lives).
 The goal of the individual soul is moksha.
Moksha is liberation: the souls release from the
cycle of death and rebirth. It occurs when the
soul unites with Brahman by realizing its true
nature. Several paths can lead to this realization
and unity: the path of duty, the path of knowledge,
and the path of devotion (unconditional
surrender to God).
 Sacred Books
THE VEDAS
These are the most ancient religious texts which define truth
for Hindus.
They got their present form between 1200-200 BCE and
were introduced to India by the Aryans.
Hindus believe that the texts were received by scholars
direct from God and passed on to the next generations by
word of mouth.
Vedic texts are sometimes called shruti, which means hearing.
For hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, the texts were
passed on orally.
Contents of the Vedas
The Vedas are made up of four compositions, and
each veda in turn has four parts which are arranged
chronologically.
The Samhitas are the most ancient part of the
Vedas, consisting of hymns of praise to God.
The Brahmanas are rituals and prayers to guide the
priests in their duties.
The Aranyakas concern worship and meditation.
The Upanishads consist of the mystical and
philosophical teachings of Hinduism.
The Samhita
Rig-Veda Samhita (c. 1200 BCE) is the oldest of
the four vedas and consists of 1028 hymns praising
the ancient gods.
Yajur-Veda Samhita is used as a handbook by priests
performing the vedic sacrifices.
Sama-Veda Samhita consists of chants and tunes for
singing at the sacrifices.
Atharva-Veda Samhita (c. 900 BCE) preserves many
traditions which pre-date the Aryan influence and
consists of spells, charms and magical formulae.
The Upnishad
The Upanishads were so called because they were taught to those who sat down beside
their teachers. (upa=near, ni=down, shad=sit).
These texts developed from the Vedic tradition, but largely reshaped Hinduism by
providing believers with philosophical knowledge.
The major Upanishads were largely composed between 800-200 BCE and are partly
prose, partly verse.
Later Upanishads continued to be composed right down to the 16th century. Originally
they were in oral form.
The early Upanishads are concerned with understanding the sacrificial rites.
Central to the Upanishads is the concept of brahman; the sacred power which informs
reality.
Whilst the priests (brahmins) had previously been the ones who, through ritual and
sacrifice, had restricted access to the divine, now the knowledge of the universe was open
to those of the high and middle castes willing to learn from a teacher.
The Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita, or "Song of the Lord" is part of the sixth
book of the Mahabharata, the world's longest poem.
The Bhagavad Gita Composed between 500 BCE and 100
CE, the Mahabharata is an account of the wars of the house
of Bharata.
It is one of the most popular Hindu texts and is known as a
smriti text (the remembered tradition). This is considered by
some to be of less importance than shruti (the heard text,
such as the Vedas). It has, nevertheless, an important place
within the Hindu tradition.
 The Bhagavad Gita takes the form of a dialogue between
prince Arjuna and Krishna, his charioteer.
Arjuna is a warrior, about to join his brothers in a war
between two branches of a royal family which would involve
killing many of his friends and relatives.
He wants to withdraw from the battle but Krishna teaches
him that he, Arjuna, must do his duty in accordance with his
class and he argues that death does not destroy the soul.
Krishna points out that knowledge, work and devotion are all
paths to salvation and that the central value in life is that of
loyalty to God.
The Ramanaya
Composed in the same period, the Ramayana is one of India's
best known tales.
It tells the story of Prince Rama who was sent into exile in
the forest with his wife, Sita, and his brother, Lakshamana.
Sita was abducted by the evil demon Ravana but ultimately
rescued by Prince Rama with the help of the Monkey God,
Hanuman.
The story is written in 24,000 couplets.
The symbolism of the story has been widely interpreted but
basically is the story of good overcoming evil. Many people
have said that it is a story about dharma or duty.
Festivals
MAKAAR SANKRANTI OR PONGAL
MAKAAR SANKRANTI OR PONGAL
Pongal is one of the most popular harvest
festivals of southern India, mainly Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Pongal
occurs in the middle of January every year and
marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan
(sun's journey northwards). The Pongal festival
lasts for four days. Celebrations include a drawing
of Kolam, swinging & the cooking of delicious
Pongal.
Vasant Panchami
Vasant Panchami (also called Saraswati
Puja by Bengalis and Odias) is celebrated
for the blessing of Saraswati, goddess
of wisdom and the arts.
Thaipusam or Kavadi
Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated
mostly by the Tamil community. The word
Thaipusam is derived from the Tamil month
name Thai and Pusam, which refers to a star
near the location of the moon during the
festival. The festival commemorates the
occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a spear
so he could vanquish the evil
demon Soorapadman
 K avadi Attam (Tamil: ) is a
dance performed by the devotees during the
ceremonial worship of Murugan,
the Tamil God of War. It is often performed
during the festival of Thaipusam and
emphasises debt bondage. The Kavadi itself is
a physical burden through which the
devotees implore for help from the
God Murugan
Holi
Holi or Phagwah is a popular spring
festival. Holi commemorates the slaying of
the demoness Holika by Lord Vishnu's
devotee Prahlad. Thus, the festival's name is
derived from the Sanskrit words "Holika
Dahanam", which literally mean "Holika's
slaying". The festival is called Shigmo and
Shimga in Goa and rural Maharashtra
respectively.
THE END